One
by katelynackles
Summary: Its been one year since the day of tragedy, happiness, death, birth, even a few laugh and tears. Five friends, plus me, make it through one day at a Santa Cruz sub shop. How bad could it be?
1. Introduction

It has been 1 year. One year since the shooting. One year since the pregnancy. One year since the marriage. One year since the death of a co-worker. One year since everyone and everything has changed for the employees at the Santa Cruz Beach City Grill. Who knew?

One Year Ago

It was a day like any other. Warm, dry, and humid. That was a day in Santa Cruz, California weather. Five friends stood in the Beach City Grill. A waiting for the customers of the only sub shop in Santa Cruz, to pile in. One was a man who bought the place when he was 34, hoping to bring peace to this God for saken world. He looked somewhat of your average man, yet the only difference was he was a war hero turned hippie. Well people thought of him as a hero but he saw himself as a killer. One who could kill you before you knew it. No one at the Beach City Grill knew this and he liked it that way. His name is Gordon, Gordon Hancock, but at Beach City Grill they knew him as Trucker. Trucker was in love with the spiritual, nice woman at the shop across the street, Zo. He finally confessed his love for her when she told him that she went to high school with him. They soon got married after wards.

Then there was a girl who could get any guy with just one breath. Her fiery reddish brown hair was on her shoulders. Only covering the scars of previous, abusive boyfriends. One of them being the man who shed the light on her true love. Her true love saved her from this evil man and she thanks him everyday. Before she met him, she would be going out with a new guy every night. Not one of them ever pleasing her like he did. Her name is Tish. Well more like Platisha Madison.

Who can not forget the one and only Boaz Priestly, or as his friends call him, Priestly. Priestly is no one has ever seen before. A man who has a different hair color everyday. One who wears the most obscene shirts. One who has more artificial holes then real ones. You can't find another like him, unless you are some kinda of freaky deaky scientist who clones people. Priestly has been in love once and is still in love. Her skin is just the right shade, her laugh sounds like angels cheering, her hair, oh her hair is the perfect combination of red and brown. He must be the luckiest man alive.

Then there is the shy and caring, Jen. Jen only moved to Santa Cruz to find happiness. Her parents left her abandon on the footsteps of a New York orphanage. Her hair used to be long, blonde, and beautiful until her 24th pair of foster parents cut it to the point where she couldn't brush it. When she moved to Santa Cruz when she was 19, the first thing she did was walk into a little sub shop with zero customers. There she met Trucker and Trucker was like a father to her. A father she never had. Once more employees came into the picture, she took her knowledge for computers and made a website so people could make orders online. Also, if fuzzy22 came on she would know it. Fuzzy is a guy she met online, well at least she hopes it is a guy.

And then there is Piper. Piper came to Santa Cruz for one thing, and one thing only. To meet her daughter she gave up when she was only fifteen. Her mother made her, she didn't want to. The mother of her child told her she would keep in touch, and she did until Julia, that was her child's name, was two. It has been 6 years since she last heard about Julia, until she found an article of artistic kids, which Piper is artistic herself, and he name was Julia, 8 years old, and has the same features. She grew close to the family before she came clean to only find out that Julia wasn't her child. Noah, Julia's father, at first felt being used but realized he loved her too much to lose her, so she was then accepted by the family and Noah and her have been dating ever since.

And finally there's me. I moved to Santa Cruz to get away from all the drama in my life. I'm only 17 and I have been living on my own since I was 15. My parents abused me, I had a miscarriage, and I was accused of armed robbery. I never went to jail but I did actually do it. It was out of desperation and I didn't have any money. I had a pocket knife and I accidentally cut the person I was robbing. I didn't go to jail because my lawyer made a deal that I had to move to a new town and get a job. So now I'm out looking for one. Wish me luck.


	2. Turkey Club

Chapter 1

I woke up on a Tuesday morning. It was 7 am and I needed to find a job before noon. That was my agreement. It was harsh but I took it. I'd rather bust my ass trying to find a job in the hot Californian weather then having my ass beaten by a prison guard. I turned the shower on and stared at myself in the mirror. I already had wrinkles in my forehead at the age of 17. I pulled off my worn down Coca Cola T-shirt and pulled down my underwear and boxers. I pushed back the curtain and got into the cold water. I didn't have that much hot water since I was living in this dump. I was out in 10 minutes tops, I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my skinny body. I took my brush and stroked my black hair. I looked at myself, my blue eyes piercing back at me, my lips in a permanent frown, my ears sticking out from my hair. No wonder I had never had a boyfriend. I was ugly.

I air dried my hair and pulled up my 5 year old dress I got from my foster parents who were also very old and died soon after having me as their foster child. It was a bit small but it worked. I grabbed my converse and tied them up being almost halfway out the door. I grabbed my keys and closed the door behind me. Walking down the stairs, I put my hair into a high bun. I unlocked my car and got in, turned the ignition on and put the stereo on the classic rock channel.

Driving for an hour can get boring when you are always stuck in traffic. My stomach grumbled so I parked my car on the side of the road near a sub shop. Before walking in, I noticed a help wanted sign. Also a note saying "Normal people NEED not apply" Whatever that meant? Pulling open the door, I realized this was the place. The atmosphere set off a nice, welcoming feeling. I walked up to the corner. A girl with short blonde hair was on the computer and then a gorgeous, red headed, woman walked up to me. She was incredibly beautiful, it made me a bit shy.

"What can I get for you?" the girl said.

"Uh... a ham and cheese sandwich."

"Coming up!" a man said behind the girl. His hair was orange, I think.

"Anything else?"

"A job?" I said kind of sounding a bit desperate. After saying that a man with a small braid sticking out behind his neck, came out of the corner. He looked a bit old but not anything over dramatic, like a cane. He looked nice.

"And why do you think you can just waltz right in here and get a job?" the man said.

"Well, I'm certainly not normal. Listen, I need a job before noon or I could be in a lot of trouble." I said putting my elbows on the counter top. I quickly removed them since it was bad manners to have your elbows on the table. That's what my 12th foster parent taught me. If I accidentally put them on the table then I wasn't aloud to finish dinner and had to stand in the corner.

"One question. Elvis: Dead or Alive?"

"Most definitely alive. I mean that man was, is a legend."

"I like her." that orange hair boy said finishing my sandwich.

"Here." the red hair gave me my sandwich. She looked like she had an attitude. The orange hair man came to the back of her and gave her a peck on the cheek. Either they were going out or were just really comfortable with each other.

"So you want a job?" the hippie man said

"Yes. Please?" I gave my puppy eyed look and he surely accepted.

"Oh why the hell not. My name is Trucker."

"My name is Riley."

"This is Jen." putting his hands on Jens shoulders. She finally acknowledge me and said hello.

"Then that's Priestly and Tish." he said pointing to the two who were whispering something. She finally moved away from the counter, and I could see she was pregnant. They were definitely dating.

"And Piper should be here sometime."

"Okay so theirs Jen, Priestly, Tish, Piper, and you, Trucker."

"Correct." he said throwing me an apron. "Jen has the rest of the day off so I guess you can take her spot. She can teach you what to do." Trucker went to the back. I walked over to Jen who was just reading an article on Oil Spills.

"Hi, I'm Riley. I guess I work here now."

"Oh, I'm Jen. I guess I work here, too." she chuckled and I did too. She showed me how to answer the phone calls and how to use the Beach City Grill website. She soon left after and I was left alone.

"Hi, I'm Priestly. Sorry about Tish, she's kinda hormonal since the pregnancy."

"Are you two like an item." I asked but I kinda regretted since I just met them and all.

"Yea. For about 2 years now. Were engaged and then she kinda got pregnant."

"When is she due?"

"Uh... actually next week." Priestly soon realized that his food was burning. I smiled and noticed that there was a new order on the website. I looked at it. It was a spicy Italian sub, 10 inches. I told priestly and he laughed.

"Whats so funny?"

"Oh its kinda like an inside joke between me and Tish."

"OK?" I said then went back to my computer. I looked at the screen again and there was already a new order. It was a turkey club with a side of blood? I told Priestly and he told me it was some kind of prank. It was to be ready in about 5 minutes. It was weird but I let it slide. It might have been a typo. After awhile no one showed up so we threw away the sandwich. A family walked into the shop. She came behind the corner and soon noticed me.

"Hello?"

"Oh hi, I'm Riley. You must be Piper? I work here now."

"Oh well yes I'm Piper, and this is Noah and Julia. There my family."

"Hello." I said

"Hey Piper." Tish said. Twenty minutes later, Jen came back in. :

"Sorry I forgot something." She said. She went into the back and came out. It looked like she forgot her purse. She ran into Noah and then a man walked into the shop. He pulled out a gun and shot at the ceiling. Everyone got down on the ground. I was freaking out. Priestly came up beside me with Tish on his arm. He pushed the emergency button. I stood up and looked him in the eye. He came up to the corner and said...

"Uh, where is my turkey club?"


End file.
